1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser printer apparatus and, more specifically, to a laser printer apparatus including a cooling fan.
2. Description of the Background Art
A laser printer apparatus is one type of printer apparatuses. As can be seen from FIG. 7, in a laser printer apparatus 101, a prescribed sheet of paper 120 fed from a paper feed inlet 113 of laser printer apparatus 101 passes through a photoreceptor 102, while the photoreceptor 102 is irradiated with a prescribed laser beam in accordance with an image signal, by a laser scanning unit 104. Consequently, toner is transferred to the sheet of paper 120. The sheet of paper 120 on which the toner has been transferred has its toner fixed in a fixing unit 105, and then the sheet is discharged from a discharge outlet 114. The toner is supplied from a cartridge 103.
In the series of printing operations, the fixing process is performed at a temperature of about 200° C., and therefore, fixing unit 105 radiates heat. Further, photoreceptor 102 is irradiated with the laser beam based on an image signal, by rotating a prescribed polygon mirror provided in laser scanning unit 104, and therefore, in laser scanning unit 104, a polygon motor (not shown) for rotating the polygon mirror is provided. Laser scanning unit 104 is heated by the rotation of the polygon motor.
In order to prevent heat generated in fixing unit 105 and generated in laser scanning unit 104 from building up in laser printer apparatus 101, a cooling fan (not shown) is provided in laser printer apparatus 101. Methods of removing heat generated in printer apparatuses and the like are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 2004-012859, 2004-262117 and 2001-337290.